Exercise equipment has been designed to facilitate a variety of exercise motions and/or to simulate a variety of real life activities. Although it is difficult to know for certain, the commercial success of an exercise product is often attributed to one or more specific factors. In some categories of products, such as the cross-country ski machine, the quality of the exercise seems to be a significant factor. In other categories of products, such as treadmills, ease of use seems to be a significant factor, in addition to the quality of the exercise. In yet another category of products, known in the industry as rider machines, ease of use was a product feature, but the quality of the exercise was less certain. Another possible explanation for the commercial success of rider machines is that the up and down movement of the exerciser's body added to the perceived value and/or overall enjoyment of the exercise. An object of the present invention is to provide exercise machines and methods which provide both quality exercise and psychological encouragement to the exerciser.